Hi. My pregnant daughter has to have a comprehensive assessment from social services. This is due to the father of the baby not engaging with his Dr regarding his depression and his substance abuse (marijuana). He has also had a previous child removed by social services. My daughter believes that minor mental health problems and a minor substance abuse problem won't affect their ability to keep the baby. I'm inclined to agree but am obviously concerned. She also maintains that if social services say they can't keep the baby she can simply leave her partner and keep the baby herself. I'm concerned that in that scenario social services will believe she's pulling a fast one and not allow this. Does anyone have any experience or advice. Many thanks.

Thank you for posting and welcome to the Family and Friends Carers Discussion Board. My name is Suzie, and I am the online adviser at Family Rights Group.

In your post you refer to a comprehensive assessment that is being done by children’s service. However, it is unclear from your post exactly what type of assessment this is. As your daughter is pregnant, it sounds like a pre-birth assessment. . This basically means that the assessment will look a number of things in order to find out if the baby, once born, will be safe in your daughter and her boyfriend’s care. Children’s services will be concerned that he has had a previous child removed from his care, and will be looking at what changes have been made, what is different now in respect of his parenting; his engagement with his doctor and support services; the impact that his drug use will have on his day-to-day parenting and his motivation to change and work with professionals.

In regards to your daughter, children's services will be assessing her ability to prioritise her baby’s needs and this will include them considering whether she acknowledges and understand the concerns they have and whether she can work in an open and honest way with professionals. I have enclosed advice sheet 9 Child protection procedures which sets out in more detail the procedures in relation to assessments and children’s services involvement which you might find helpful.

It is important that your daughter does not minimise the concerns that children’s services have by referring to minor health or drug use not affecting their ability to parent their baby. Until the father has sought help for both of these, no one is able to say they are minor.

Should you wish to speak to an adviser, you can telephone our free confidential advice line on 0808 801 0366. The advice line is open from 9.30am to 3pm Monday to Friday.